• Breastfeeding mother among the group 

The Intermediate Court of Nyarugenge has denied bail to Marc Kabandana, former Director General of RIAM, alongside his co-accused who include a breastfeeding mother.

The group of four will remain in custody as investigations into the allegations for which they were arrested continue.

Among the four is Annet Mbabazi, a former accountant with RIAM who has a one month old baby. She is accused of complicity in the embezzlement case, involving close to Rwf203 million that went unaccounted for.

"Having found out that the group may jeopardise investigations, we have ruled that they remain in detention for 30 days as investigations continue,” the presiding Judge Jean Marie Vianney Nkundakozera ruled yesterday.

Mbabazi who is now detained at Nyamirambo Police pleaded through her lawyer Frank Mubangizi to be tried outside detention for the sake of her baby. She broke into tears as the lawyer made the plea.

"My client is a mother of a baby who cannot escape justice, if possible you can even confiscate all her travel documents but grant her bail for the sake of the baby,” Mubangizi pleaded.

The prosecution represented by Noel Ndengiyingoma insisted Mbabazi could jeopardise farther investigations and confiscating her travel documents is not a guarantee she may not escape justice.

The court ruled yesterday that the four suspects be detained in the central prison commonly known as 1930 in their absence.

The group also includes Faustin Mugisha, a former director of administration and finance and Dominique Rwaka, a local businessman.

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